OAK PARK AND RIVER FOREST HIGH SCHOOL BOARD CULTURE, CLIMATE AND - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

OAK PARK AND RIVER FOREST HIGH SCHOOL BOARD CULTURE, CLIMATE AND BEHAVIOR COMMITTEE MARCH 2, 2017

AGENDA Visitor Comments Approval of Minutes Committee Norms Reflections from Last Meeting CCB Mission Statement Review Discussion of Draft Recommendations Exit Ticket Adjournment 2

VISITOR COMMENTS Please limit public comments concerning matters within the jurisdiction of the Culture, Climate, and Behavior Committee to 3 minutes. This section is not intended to be a dialogue with the Policy Committee. 3

APPROVAL OF MINUTES 4

CCB NORMS We will: ● Work together as a community that values building consensus. ● Be fully “present” at our meeting by being prepared and being attentive. ● Share examples which do not include references to specific individuals or specific situations. ● Invite and welcome the contributions of every member and listen to each other. ● Operate in a collegial and open atmosphere. ● Be guided by the Oak Park and River Forest High School mission statement which enhances success for all students. ● Assume positive intentions from every member and every presenter ● Listen to understand, not only reply 5

REFLECTIONS FROM LAST MEETING What did you learn? ● There have been initiatives that worked which were discontinued. ● Several points on accountability that are all great. Very comprehensive. What surprised you? ● That things that were working got discontinued. Hopefully, this will no longer happen. 6

REFLECTIONS FROM LAST MEETING What do you want to know more about? ● I want to know about current initiatives, whether or not they’re working, and what improvements need to be made. ● How to increase student voice. ● Solutions vs. ‘pointless’ commentary 7

CCB MISSION STATEMENT DRAFT The Culture, Climate, and Behavior Committee provides recommendations for improvement of the high school’s culture and climate to the Board of Education with the goal of creating an environment in which student discipline rates will not be predictable by race, socioeconomic factors, or special education status, and where all students feel welcome and experience a sense of belonging. 8

DEFINING OUR WORK: CCB KEY THEMES FROM 1/17 Accountability: We understand our individual roles in improving OPRF culture, climate, and behavior and we hold each other accountable to effecting positive change Rigorous Evaluation: We assess current (and proposed) practices, both on outcomes, and our ability to properly implement. Safe Spaces: We cultivate opportunities for engage every member of the OPRF community in a supportive, responsive manner Communication / Awareness: We promote and utilize available supports, through easy access and intentional outreach. Cultural sensitivity: Lack of racial equity is a long-standing concern for the OPRF community, and the pursuit of equity in OPRF culture, climate, and behavior is an explicit goal for this committee’s efforts. 9

DEFINING OUR WORK: RECOMMENDATIONS DRAFT 2016 - 2017 (Spring Semester): ● Annual review of OPRF culture and climate (e.g., surveys, focus groups) 2017 - 2018: ● Create and adhere to schedule of adult volunteers to act as school-day welcoming greeters. ● Conduct inventory/audit of all initiatives to improve equity through culture and climate implemented from 2000 to present. ● Creation of a standing committee to monitor and evaluate equity issues within the school. ● Engage student voice via regular feedback to the Board from students concerning the school’s climate. ● Engage student and family voice to improve equity across all demographics through town halls, assemblies, and other regular mechanisms for feedback 2018 - 2019: 10

CCB EXIT TICKET • What did you learn? • What surprised you? • What do you want to know more about? 11

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS/ QUESTIONS? Other reflections or questions—put questions on the table 12

ADJOURNMENT Next scheduled meeting: Monday, March 13, 2017, 7:00 PM Proposed: Monday, April 10, 2017, 7:00 PM 13

APPENDIX About the Culture, Climate, and Behavior Committee CCB Timeline and 2017 Meeting Dates Defining Culture vs Climate Summary of Findings from 2003 Study on Learning Community Performance Gap 14

CULTURE, CLIMATE, AND BEHAVIOR COMMITTEE (CCB) Formed in Spring 2016 to review and make recommendations on the district’s equity policies and practices, particularly the Code of Conduct To comply with Illinois Senate Bill 100, the Code of Conduct has been revised for the current (2016-17) Academic Year Given these changes, the committee maintains the goal of identifying opportunities to promote positive, equitable policies and practices at OPRF with respect to discipline 15

CCB TIMELINE FOR FALL 2017 RECOMMENDATIONS Committee generates ideas Sep 2016 Ideas prioritized Dec 2016 (Fall ‘17, Spr ‘18, etc) Fall ‘17 proposals developed Jan 2017 Fall ‘17 proposals finalized; submitted as Feb 2017 recommendations to BOE Communication Plan Feb 2017 Fall ‘17 recommendations ratified by Apr 2017 BOE 16

FUTURE MEETING DATES Proposed: ● Monday, March 13th 17

CULTURE VS. CLIMATE Culture is sometimes referred to as the “personality” of the school, whereas the Climate is the “mood” of the school ● Culture is a reflection of institutional practices, built up over multiple years, and reflected in predictable responses ● Climate is more related to morale, which is more likely to vary from teacher to teacher, and from day to day ● Historically, efforts that help boost morale without changing practice are ultimately not lasting because they don’t ultimate impact school culture ● Efforts that affect cultural change ultimately require us to question our practices and possibly, belief systems Adapted from S. Gruenart, “School Climate, School Culture: They Are Not the Same Thing” 18 ( Principal , Mar/Apr 2008; https://www.naesp.org/resources/2/Principal/2008/M-Ap56.pdf)

2003 OPRF STUDY: OVERVIEW A 2003 analysis of African-American achievement at OPRF took a comprehensive look at campus culture and climate ● The study, The Learning Community Performance Gap, was conducted by a team of OPRF and community - based research practitioners, and took more than two years to complete. ● Although the primary focus of the study is race-based differences in academic outcomes at OPRF, the research also notes race-based differences in discipline outcomes, with campus culture as a common factor ● In review, the study also chronicled a series of reports, committees, and interventions commissioned by OPRF going back as early as 1977 ● The full study is available on the OPRF website: http://www.oprfhs.org/documents/LearningCommunityPerformanceGap2003.pdf 19

2003 OPRF STUDY: KEY DISCIPLINE FINDINGS There is a strong hypothesis that many of the study’s findings with respect to discipline still hold ● Black students consistently represent less than 30% of the student body, and account for more than half of total offenses ● Black students are far less likely than white students to avoid recording an offense, and far more likely to record multiple offenses ● Black and White students charged with the same offense are likely to receive the same consequences; however, as noted above, Black students are more likely to be charged in general ● Hispanic, Native American, and a subset of Asian students, (though not explicitly referenced in the 2003 study) will tend to trend with Black students 20

2003 OPRF STUDY: KEY CULTURAL FINDINGS Given that, there is a strong hypothesis that the study’s findings with respect to culture also still hold: ● Black students were found “less likely to feel safe and happy about school and classroom environments” and “less likely to feel happy about their teachers” ● The persistence of performance gaps suggested two communities exist at OPRF - “one for White students that places them at ‘academic promise’, and one for African American students that places them ‘at academic risk’.” 21

2003 OPRF STUDY: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations from the study called for institutional investment with direct relevance to discipline: ● Resources to determine effectiveness in reducing Code of Conduct infractions, with specific strategies for: • Strategies for reducing infractions committed by Black students • Strategies for reducing recidivism rates for Black students • Methods for measuring the effectiveness of strategies • Methods for enhancing the effectiveness of discipline teams ● Evidence-based research of all attendance system interventions 22

2003 OPRF STUDY: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations from the study also called for institutional investment in several areas addressing OPRF climate and culture: ● Investigation of ways to enhancing positive interpersonal relationships between faculty and students ● Longitudinal study and joint advisory board to monitor academic success and seamless transition (with Districts 90 and 97) ● Parent development interventions and workshops with particular focus on African American students ● Support for campus orgs for African-American student success, development, networking, and mentoring ● Support for African-American Faculty Advisory Council to monitor programs targeted to support African-American students while affirming the collective responsibility of all faculty 23